Courses

AUTHOR

OBGOLF

04 October 2018

The Oldest Course in Indonesia

While many golf courses have sprung up around Jakarta, many with a wide variety of facilities to spoil golfers, the oldest course in the capital, Jakarta Golf Club, still exists today and provides what is said to be a tough challenge for the visitors who come to play it.

In eastern Jakarta, a golf course that was built in 1872 is part of national golf history. Located in the Rawamangun area, Jakarta Golf Club (JGC) stands on an area of 36 hectares. Before the millennium, JGC was one of the most exclusive golf courses and was the place that state and military officials went to play. The longest standing former president of Indonesia, Soeharto, even called JGC his home course.

While the number of golf courses in Jakarta and surrounding areas has rapidly increased, JGC, which is a walking course, still hasn’t lost its appeal. Through the years, the course that was originally named Batavia Golf Club has played an important role in the development of golf nationally and has been well maintained to provide a beautiful playing experience.

Since the course was built on a limited amount of land, the holes of JGC are generally short. However, don’t think that this means they are easy; the fairways are guarded by large trees, plus water hazards and bunker obstacles that make the course challenging for all players. Players of every ability need to be smart in placing the ball on each hole while long hitters will find themselves rarely using their driver, having to opt for their three wood or two iron and adjust their shots on par 4 and par 5 holes.